Israel Goes On The Offensive

Its military attacks on villages in southern Lebanon reinforce Israel's reputation for acting forcefully once a decision has been made to neutralize a perceived security threat.

The trouble is, circumstances call for something other than an unrelenting demonstration of Israel's toughness. Greater restraint by Israel and cool heads throughout the Mideast are what's needed.

Since Sunday, Israeli artillery and aircraft have been pummeling an area from which terrorist organizations, chief among them the Iranian-backed Party of God, or Hezbollah, have targeted soldiers and civilians in northern Israel and a strip of Lebanese territory Israel uses as a security zone.

Jerusalem says Hezbollah has mounted more than 60 attacks this year, twice as many as in 1992. Seven Israeli soldiers were killed in the security zone earlier this month.

Although Israel must defend itself, it runs the risk of doing more harm than good by using such a disproportionate amount of military force.

Other foes of Israel could feel compelled to join with Hezbollah, raising its stature. What's more, if the offensive destroys the struggling Mideast peace process, Israeli leaders will have delivered into Hezbollah's hands the very prize it seeks-more discord in the region and greater danger for Israel.

This week's raids in Lebanon, Israel's most extensive since 1982, are meant not only to wipe out nests of terrorists but to render hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians homeless. Israel has intentionally created a flood of refugees, almost all of whom are en route to Beirut.

Such a purposeful abuse of civilians is intolerable. Israel ought to pay heed to Washington, which called for a cessation of "military activities against civilians," and to United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

"It is deplorable," said Boutros-Ghali, accurately, "that any government would consciously adopt policies that would lead to the creation of new flows of refugees and displaced persons."

Israel hopes the crush of refugees in Beirut will pressure the Lebanese government-and the Syrians, who really call the shots-to root out the terrorists.

But Damascus probably is tempted to just go on letting Israel overreact. The official government newspaper claimed that reining in Israel's "aggressive expansionist tendency is the responsibility of the world community."

Presumably Secretary of State Warren Christopher, who has been in touch with leaders in the region and who plans to be there on a peace mission this weekend, has been reminding the Lebanese, Syrians and Israelis of their mutual responsibility to pursue peace, both in the short term and the long.

For Syria, this should mean suppressing the groups that menace Israel. For Israel, it means scaling back the dangerously overambitious military operation in Lebanon.